NYSDA News December2023

Page 8

Alleviating Insurance Verification Challenges If there was a better way to manage insurance verification that improved office operations and your bottom line, wouldn’t you take it? Robert McDermott

T

here are few things that challenge modern healthcare for both the provider and the patient quite like managing insurance. Patients find their coverage difficult to understand, and dental practices struggle to verify coverage and benefits prior to in-office visits. For that reason, patients often rely upon their dentist offices to verify their insurance for care and procedures.

The insurance verification process should be easy but, instead, it’s often lengthy and slow, occupying resources that could be better used to improve office efficiencies and patient services. Still, it’s a necessary task. Insurance verification and pre-approval ensures your dental practice is paid for its services. Finding ways to both improve the process and save resources is, for many dental practices, a top priority. Most dental offices are still relying on manual insurance verification processes. True, you have patient information on file, but must go record-by-record to check any patient on the schedule. Or, you have to wait until a patient completes a form that includes all their insurance information. Most practices dedicate at least one staff member to insurance for at least 20 hours per week. You’re paying a staff member to make phone calls rather than provide support or patient services. Many dental offices are already finding themselves short-staffed.

NEWS

CONTINUED ON PAGE 14

1

8


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.
NYSDA News December2023 by New York State Dental Association - Issuu